I was recently on an eleven day solo walk through some nice Tasmanian Wilderness. I started from near Deloraine and walked up onto the Central Plateau via Higgs Track. Once on the Plateau – the walking is easy and excellent. The countryside is not spectacularly rugged but is spectacularly beautiful. You walk through a maze of hundreds of small lakes, thickets of ancient pencil pines and the most attractive alpine gardens. There are few tracks – but there is not need for them. It is not too hard to pick ones way through, taking time to look at the scenery as you go.
Boulders and lakes on the Central Plateau
My way took me to the Walls of Jerusalem. I was lucky there to experience a beautiful sunrise from the summit of The Temple – one of the small peaks near the main valley. I was fortunate indeed to observe both a brockenspectre and a fogbow.
Dawn from The Temple
From the Walls of Jerusalem, I walked past Lake Adelaide and Lake Meston to Junction Lake and then climbed up onto the Traveller Range. This is another labyrinth of lakes and small rocky peaks. It is another great pace to slowly wander through. It is not worth trying to walk fast through this area. There is too much to see, too much to photograph, too many beautiful places. Also – the fagus, Tasmania’s native deciduous tree –northofagus gunii was in the process of loosing its leaves. Prior to the “fall”, the leaves change colour from green to yellow and then to orange.
Fagus
It is well worth camping on the Traveller Range. Any camp on the range is a high camp – and that means great views.
Next spot to visit was Pine Valley. Bad weather had returned – so my remaining days were spent on daytrips from Pine Valley Hut. The valley itself is amazing – with a magnificent ancient rainforest. Fungi pop up on the forest floor. The trees range from beech, King Billy PInes and huge Eucalypts. Pandanis look out of place but are abundant.
I wandered around the forest with a camera and tripod, trying to record images of some of the fungi. They were present in many shapes, sizes and colours.
I climbed up onto another beautiful place – the Acropolis Plateau and then ascended onto the Acropolis Summit Plateau. The actual summit is a separate pinnacle – it is scary to climb and this trip it was too windy to attempt.
Back down to the valley for some more photos of fungi.
Next it was another sidetrip to the Labyrinth. This is a bit like the Traveller Range with lots of lakes and small rocky peaks. However it is surrounded by some of the most spectacular peaks in Tasmania – the peaks of the Du Cane Range. Also there is plenty of fagus around the lakes. It is well worth visiting and making sure you pack the camera.
Pine Valley
Fagus in The Labyrinth
My last two days were spent slowly walking back to Cynthia Bay on Lake St Clair. Slowly because I was taking lots of photo of the fungi.
More photos on my main website here
Wonderful, I can see you enjoy the landscape as I do.
Great photos, I am sending these off to others around the world that are also photographer. Cheers!